


Best Birthday Present Ever

by blk0912



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Barson, Barsonoah, F/M, Family Fluff, Fix It Fic, coming home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 08:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24468145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blk0912/pseuds/blk0912
Summary: On the eve of her birthday, Olivia reflects on the video chat with Rafael.
Relationships: Rafael Barba & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 68





	Best Birthday Present Ever

**Author's Note:**

> I realize that I'm supposed to be working on two other fics, and I am, but I was rewatching the barson video chat and some other Barba clips...and this happened. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

* * *

_I wanted to be the first_

Olivia smiled as she replayed that conversation in her head, remembering the happy but somewhat shy expression on Rafael’s face when she had called him out on being early for wishing her a happy birthday. She missed her best friend.

He’d reached out to her a few days after their conversation in front of the courthouse, apologizing for making it seem like he needed to move on from her. He needed to do something else for a while, get his head together. They had kept in touch, had met for coffee a few times when he was back in the city for a little while, but she wanted him back for good. She wished she had told him how she felt before everything had gone to hell. She knew it was highly unlikely that she and Rafael would work together again, but she had been hoping he would find another opportunity in the city and come home for good. At least she’d be able to spend more time with her best friend that way.

Sitting on the couch with her glass of wine, Olivia glanced at her watch and sighed. It would be her birthday in a half an hour. She had taken the day off, and was letting Noah stay home from school. She wanted to spend her birthday with her son. She wanted to spend it with her best friend, too, but it seemed that wasn’t meant to be. They had a tentative dinner date for when he returned to the city after the Iowa primary, but that was still over a month away. She was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of her phone indicating she had a message. Turning on the screen, she smiled as she saw that Rafael had been the one to text her.

**_You still awake?_ **

Still smiling, she quickly tapped out her reply.

_Yes. Enjoying the wine you sent. You shouldn’t have._

**_Best I could do on short notice_**.

_Everything okay?_

**_Hope so. Open the door?_ **

Dropping the phone onto the couch and setting the wine glass down on the coffee table, Olivia rushed to the door, quickly unlocking it and practically throwing it open. When she saw Rafael standing on the other side, she started crying.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, not quite sure she wasn’t hallucinating.

“I told you-I wanted to be the first,” he said with a shrug. “I also missed my best friend. Is she going to invite me in?”

Olivia let out a watery laugh as she stepped aside to admit Rafael, closing the door softly behind him. He had barely gotten his coat off before she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. “God, Rafa, I missed you,” she said, burying her face in his shoulder.

Rafael wrapped his arms tightly around Olivia, reveling in the feeling of holding her close, the way he’d wanted to for years. He had gotten a call the other day from the new DA, Casey Novak, she was looking for a special prosecutor for some difficult cases and she told him that he was her first choice, she had heard about the good he had done in all of his previous years with the DA’s office. He had accepted immediately and would be starting Monday. He had settled what he needed to in Iowa, his bosses there being surprisingly understanding about everything, then quickly packed his things and hopped on the first plane he could back to New York. He rented a car at the airport and had driven straight to Olivia’s. He was tired of fighting his feelings for her and he truly did want to be the first one to wish her a happy birthday.

“I’m back,” he whispered.

Olivia lifted her head to look at him. “What?”

Rafael offered her a half-smile as he moved his hands to frame her face, his thumbs wiping away her tears. “I’m back. I got a job here in the city. I start Monday.”

“You’re not leaving again?”

“No. Never again,” he replied before gathering all the courage he could muster and leaning forward to press his lips to hers.

Slipping one hand behind his neck, she returned the kiss, tilting her head to deepen it. When they broke apart a short while later, she rested her forehead against his and smiled. “I love you.”

Temporarily unable to speak, Rafael brushed his lips with hers again. “I love you, too,” he said a few moments later.

“Stay?” Olivia asked, leaning back to look at him.

“What about Noah?”

“He’ll be _thrilled_ to see you. Please, Rafa? I’m not ready to let you out of my sight again.”

“Okay,” he agreed, toeing off his shoes and following her to the bedroom.

* * *

As they were about to fall asleep, Olivia curled tightly into his side with an arm over his stomach and her head resting on his shoulder, Rafael glanced at the clock. 12:01. Tipping Olivia’s face up for another kiss, he smiled at her. “Happy birthday, _mi vida_.”

Olivia smiled at the new nickname, brushing her lips with his again before she spoke. “Best birthday present ever,” she said, earning herself another kiss.

* * *

The next morning, Rafael carefully opened the door to Noah’s room. The boy was still asleep, Eddie held tightly in his arms. He had missed the boy, and had realized the minute he was back, that he loved him as much as his mother, too.

“ _Buenos Días, amigo_ ,” he said softly, running a hand over the boy’s curls.

Noah blinked his eyes open. “Uncle Rafa?” he asked.

“Yeah, _amigo_ , it’s me.”

Much as his mother had done the night before, Noah promptly launched himself at Rafael, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Uncle Rafa!”

“Want to help me make your mami breakfast in bed for her birthday?”

“Yes!”

* * *

“Livia, _mi vida_ , wake up,” Rafael said, running his fingers through Olivia’s hair as he spoke.

“Rafa?” she asked, sitting up against the headboard and noticing the tray he had placed on the bed. “What is all of this?”

“Breakfast!” Noah exclaimed as he rushed into the room, climbing up onto the bed and presenting her with a card. “Happy Birthday, Mom!”

Olivia hugged her son close. “Thank you, sweet boy.”

“Uncle Rafa and I made you breakfast!”

“I see that.”

“Did you know Uncle Rafa was coming back today?”

Olivia glanced over at her love, wondering what exactly he wanted her to say to Noah. He simply shrugged and gave her a look that said _whatever you want_. Turning back to her son, she ran a hand over his hair as she spoke. “Uncle Rafa actually came back late last night, after you were asleep, and we had a sleepover. He surprised me. He came back to be with us, sweet boy.”

Having sensed that something had changed between his two favorite people, Noah nodded. He didn’t want to get his hopes up again, that Rafael would make his mom smile big again, that maybe one day he’d want to his dad. But now Rafael was here and he had said that he was back, and he saw the way he and his mom were looking at each other, and he was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

“Noah?” Olivia asked, seeing the tears in her son’s eyes.

Reaching out, Rafael laid a hand on Noah’s leg. “ _Amigo_ , what’s wrong?”

Noah shook his head, not wanting to ruin his mother’s birthday.

“Noah, sweet boy, you know you can tell us anything…” Olivia reminded him, laying her hand on his shoulder as he turned tearful eyes on Rafael.

Rafael searched Noah’s eyes for a few moments before reaching his arms out for the boy. “Come here, _mijo_ ,” he said softly.

Olivia set her tray on the floor and watched tearfully as Noah launched himself at Rafael, burying his face in his shoulder as his arms wrapped around his neck. Keeping one arm around Noah, Rafael reached for Olivia with the other, pulling her into the hug.

“Best birthday present ever,” she said, repeating her words from earlier that morning.

She and Rafael had woken early that morning and talked for a while before making love and eventually letting sleep claim them again. He had told her about the job, told her he wanted to be a family with her and Noah, how much he missed her and loved her…loved both of them. Olivia had confided in him that she had gotten a glimpse of the letter Noah had sent to Santa just a few months early, and in it he had written that he wanted Rafael to come back, to make the three of them a real family, for Rafael to be his dad.

Rafael, in turn, had replied that he’d love nothing more than to make all of those things come true. But neither would pressure Noah into making a decision. They had planned on encouraging him to start by dropping the ‘uncle’ moniker and simply call him Rafa, but apparently the little boy had other plans.

Once he had calmed down, Noah turned his head to look at his mother. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“Sorry for what, sweet boy?” Olivia wondered.

“Ruining your breakfast.”

Olivia chuckled, pressing a kiss to his head. “It’s okay. It can be reheated. I know Rafa coming back wasn’t something either of us was expecting and sometimes feelings can be overwhelming.”

Noah nodded before burying his face in Rafael’s shoulder again. Sensing that her son might need some help vocalizing what he was feeling, Olivia turned to Rafael with a smile. “I think we should move breakfast to the living room. We can eat at the coffee table while we watch a movie…as a family…”

Catching on, Rafael returned Olivia’s smile. “ _Un hijo, un madre....y un padre_. _Una Familia._ ”

Noah’s head shot up and he looked between both adults. He was learning some basic Spanish in school and he knew those words. A son, a mother, and a father. A family.

“Really?” he asked.

“Really,” Olivia told him, her smile growing as she watched his eyes light up.

“ _Un hijo_ ,” he repeated Rafael’s words, pointing to himself and then to Olivia “ _Un madre_.” He pointed to Rafael. “ _Y un padre_.”

“ _Una Familia_ ,” Olivia and Rafael finished together.

“You want to be my dad?” Noah asked Rafael, wanting to make absolutely sure.

“I’d love that,” Rafael answered. “ _Te amo, mijo_.”

Noah titled his head, in an almost exact imitation of Rafael himself. “What does _te…amo…_ mean?”

“It means ‘I love you’.”

“How do you say ‘I love you, too’?”

“ _También te amo._ ”

“ _También_ _te amo_ ,” Noah repeated with a grin.

“Come on, boys, the birthday girl is starving and wants to have breakfast with her two favorite people.”

Noah and Rafael grinned at each other before they both leaned over to press a kiss to each of Olivia’s cheeks.

“We shouldn’t let your mami starve, _mijo_ ,” Rafael said, standing and walking around to pick up the tray Olivia had discarded. “I’ll warm everything up while you two pick out a movie.”

* * *

After breakfast, Noah talked Rafael into building Legos while Olivia took a bath. Hearing a knock at the door, Rafael turned to Noah with a confused look. The boy simply shrugged.

“We could answer it together?” he suggested.

“Sure,” Rafael agreed, standing and holding out his hand.

Taking Rafael’s hand, Noah followed him to the door, where the older man looked through the peephole. Seeing who was on the other side of the door, he briefly wondered what the person was doing at Olivia’s door, then decided to just go with it and add to the surprises of the day.

“Go ahead and open the door, _mijo_ ,” he said.

* * *

Standing at Olivia’s door, Lucia wondered if her son knew just how much the younger woman missed him, how much she loved him. She knew they had kept in touch, and he knew that she and Olivia got together for lunch or brunch once or twice a week as their schedules allowed. She knew today was the younger woman’s birthday and Rafael was still working in Iowa.

She had never been one to advocate for simply just quitting a job, but Rafael’s place was not in Iowa; it was in New York, with her, Olivia, Noah, and his friends. She had briefly met them, the squad as Olivia and Rafael both referred to them as, a couple of times when she stopped by the precinct to meet up with Olivia. They all thought very highly of her son and would welcome him back with open arms. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door unlocking and opening.

“Noah, sweetheart, I thought you weren’t supposed to open the door by yourself?” she asked him.

Noah looked up to someone on the other side of the door that she couldn’t see before turning back to her. “I’m not alone,” he told her. “My dad is here.”

Lucia was momentarily breathless. She didn’t know that Olivia was seeing anyone, let alone that it had become so serious that Noah would consider calling the man his father. But it had been two years since Rafael left and they hadn’t made any promises to each other, so she supposed it was possible she’d met someone else. But the way the other woman spoke about Rafael, the way she was always willing to rearrange her schedule to meet up with him when he was in town, told her differently. That could only mean…

“ _Hola, Mami_ ,” she heard. She’d know that voice anywhere; it was Rafael’s.

“Rafi?” she asked, unable to say anything else.

“ _Sí, Mami, soy yo_.”

Lucia dropped the bag she’d been holding and reached out to hug her son tightly. “How long have you been back?”

“Less than twenty-four hours. Actually, less than twelve at this point.”

“Is that for my mom?” Noah asked, pointing to the bag Lucia had dropped.

“Yes. Is she around?” Lucia answered, stepping back and turning her attention to the little boy still standing next to her son.

Before either Rafael or Noah could answer, they heard Olivia’s voice from behind them. “Rafa? Noah? Who’s at the door?”

Slipping an arm around Rafael’s waist, Olivia leaned into his side as she turned her head to see who her boys were talking to. “Lucia? This is a surprise.”

“You mentioned that today was your birthday…and I wanted to do what I could to make sure you had a good day. But it seems my son already has that taken care of.”

“Mm.” Olivia agreed with a smile. “Best birthday present ever. Would you like to come in?”

“I’d like that.”

* * *

Settling on the couch in the living room, Olivia sat between the two Barbas while Noah sat on Rafael’s lap.

“Your friend…the one that likes taking pictures…Italian name…” Lucia began, unable to think of the man’s name due to still being slightly in a state of shock.

“Carisi?” Olivia supplied.

“Yes. That’s the one. I asked him for some pictures of your little family, specifically for some of you and Noah, so I could make you something. He sent me quite a few, but I chose my favorites and put them together for you.”

Olivia smiled, taking the present out of the bag and immediately felt tears threaten to fall at the sight of the picture on the cover. It was of her, Noah, and Rafael at the park. Noah was sitting on a swing, smiling, his head turned to talk to Olivia and Rafael, who were standing behind him looking at each other with smiles on their faces. The rest of the book contained pictures of Olivia and Noah with various members of the squad, including some more with Rafael.

“I think this is my favorite,” Olivia said a few moments later, pointing to the last picture in the album.

It was another of her, Rafael, and Noah. This one was at a picnic that the squad had put together the previous summer. Rafael had been back for a visit and had agreed to attend it with them. The day had started to catch up with her as she watched Rafael and Noah cloud gaze. Rafael had noticed and had made some snarky remark about his shoulder being more comfortable than the ground and she should relax. So she had curled close against his side and rested her head on his shoulder, her arm over his stomach, almost immediately falling asleep.

“Noah started yawning shortly after you passed out,” Rafael said, filling in the blanks. “He curled into my other side and the two of you made me so comfortable that I fell asleep too. You were the last to wake up, Livia. I didn’t even know Carisi took this picture until now.”

Olivia nodded, turning to the woman she hoped would someday (soon) be her mother-in-law and hugging her. “Thank you. This is great. Rafa, Noah, and I will all enjoy it.”

“You’re welcome.”

Turning to her lover, Olivia placed a hand on his leg to get his attention. “You might want to explain to your mother why you’re here.”

“I’m back,” he said with a shrug.

“Back?” Lucia repeated.

“Back…in New York…with my love and our son…and at the DA’s office. I start Monday.”

“Where are you staying?”

“Umm…”

“With us,” Noah supplied before either of his parents could say anything.

“Noah’s right,” Olivia agreed. “He’ll be staying here with us. We’ve claimed him and we’re not letting him go.”

“As it should be,” Lucia said with a smile. “Rafi, will you walk me out? I promised to meet some friends, but wanted to stop by and give Olivia her present first.

“ _Adios, Abeulita_ ,” Noah said, giving Lucia a hug before going back to his Legos.

“ _Abuelita_?” Lucia repeated, looking between Olivia and Rafael.

“Noah claimed Rafael as his father earlier this morning…which makes you his _Abuelita_ ,” Olivia replied.

“Is that okay?” Rafael asked.

“More than,” Lucia told him, bending down to press a kiss to the top of Noah’s head. “ _Adios, nieto. Te veré pronto_.”

* * *

“I need to stop by the precinct,” Olivia said a few hours later, looking through the paperwork she’d brought home with her and realizing she left a case file in her office.

“I thought you weren’t working today?” Rafael asked from his spot at the coffee table with Noah, who had persuaded him into building more Legos.

“I’m not, but I just wanted to check and make sure I had everything so I can be ready for my Monday morning meeting with Chief Garland. I had a feeling I left something at work…and I was right.”

Rafael glanced at his watch. “It’s lunchtime. We could grab something to eat and then stop by the precinct on the way home,” he suggested.

“Sounds perfect. But first, we need to get your bags out of the car. Which you also need to bring back and get your own back.”

“We could add that to our errands to run this afternoon?”

“Good idea.”

* * *

“I think this is turning into a ‘surprise everyone and explain why I’m back a million times’ weekend,” Rafael grumbled good-naturedly as he, Olivia, and Noah stepped into the elevator.

“You’re the one who started it,” Olivia reminded him with a laugh.

“Yes, well, at the time, I was only thinking about you and _our son_.”

Olivia grinned shared a grin with Noah at Rafael’s words. “Might as well keep the surprises going.”

“Mm.”

“Then we can go home and watch another movie together?” Noah asked.

“Sure, _mijo_.”

As they stepped off the elevator, Noah took hold of each of their hands and they walked into the squad room looking every bit the family they, finally, were.

* * *

Looking up at the sound of the elevator, Amanda’s mouth dropped open as she saw not only Olivia and Noah, but also Rafael.

“Oh…my…God…” she said, gaining the attention of Sonny, who was seated next to her as they had been going over a case file.

“About time,” he opined with a smile.

“Barba!” Fin greeted. “Long time no see. How long are you back for this time?”

“For as long as these two will have me,” Rafael answered, indicating Olivia and Noah.

“Yeah? What are you going to be doing, then?”

“Special prosecutor for the DA’s office.”

“I was wondering why Casey was asking about some of your old cases. Guess I know the answer now. Welcome back, man. Will we be seeing you around more, then?”

“To visit Liv, sure. To work cases, I’m not sure. Rumor has it you have a pretty good ADA working for you now.”

“We’re still breaking him in.”

Rafael laughed. “Well, he did learn from the best, so I think you’re in good hands.”

“I can hear you, you know!” Sonny reminded them, although he was also laughing.

“You know we love you,” Amanda told him. When Rafael raised an eyebrow at her, she realized what she’d said and blushed a little, hoping Sonny wouldn’t notice.

“Okay, everyone, back to work,” Olivia said as she returned, holding the file she needed. “I expect you all to be ready for the meeting Monday morning with Garland.”

The rest of the squad nodded, waiting until her back was turned and she was walking away with Noah and Rafael before grinning at each other.

* * *

Later that night, after reading Noah (and Eddie) to sleep, Rafael relaxed with Olivia on the couch. She was curled into his side, her head resting on his chest and her arm lying over his stomach. He ran his fingers through her hair as they watched a movie of their choice, content to simply enjoy each other’s company. They still had things to figure out-if they wanted to remain at Olivia’s or find a different, possibly bigger, place to live, Noah adjusting to Rafael being his father and not just Uncle Rafa.

He and Olivia needed to officially disclose, but since it was unlikely they’d be working together, at least not as much as they had when he was SVU’s ADA, he doubted it would be a problem. He’d mentioned something hypothetically to Casey when she’d offered him the job and she had assured him that she had confidence in his and Olivia’s abilities to keep things professional at work should they have to work a case together. Casey had also mentioned the EADA for Manhattan was retiring in a few months, and that if things went well in his position as special prosecutor, she would like to see him take over the EADA position.

Whatever happened, he had Olivia and Noah, his mom and the squad. His family. With them by his side, he was sure he could accomplish anything.


End file.
